May 27, 2008

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - With the 2008 season on the horizon, first-year University of Memphis head volleyball coach April Jauregui bolstered her coaching staff with the hiring of former University of Oregon assistant Marko Majstorovic, Jauregui announced Tuesday.

"I am excited that Marko is joining our staff," said Jauregui. "He was a tremendous player and has coached at the highest level in the Pacific 10 Conference. His experience and expertise compliment the visions and goals I have set for this program."

A native of Serbia, Majstorovic (pronounced mas-TORE-o-vich) brings a wealth of volleyball knowledge to the Memphis coaching staff and will play a key role in the program's on-court training, video analysis, defensive systems, and recruiting efforts. In addition, he will serve as Tiger Volleyball's camps and tournament director.

Majstorovic brings 10 years of coaching experience to the Memphis volleyball program. He has worked as both a head coach and an assistant coach for youth and semi-pro leagues. He has also served as the Sports Director for the volleyball club Junior Belgrade, where he ran the club's winter and summer volleyball camps.

Majstorovic began his coaching career in 1998 as head coach of the youth women's teams at the Banjica Belgrade volleyball club. After two years at Banjica Belgrade, he took over as the head coach for the Radnicki Volleyball Club's youth women's teams and assistant coach for the Club's A1 Pro League team. He guided his U-17 youth women's squad to a state Championship, while helping the Pro League team to a second-place finish in 2000. He also helped the Radnicki Volleyball Club's Senior Women's team to a National Volleyball Cup of Serbia title in 2002.

He then spent the 2005-06 seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Oregon before moving back to Serbia to take over as the head coach for the youth and senior women's programs at the Banovic Strahinja Volleyball Club.

Most recently, Majstorovic has served as head coach for the women's youth teams at Volley Star Belgrade Volleyball Club.

An accomplished player on the volleyball court, Majstorovic began playing in the youth leagues in Belgrade, before earning a spot on the Yugoslavian Junior National Team from 1994-96. While playing for Yugoslavian Juniors, Majstorovic played for Zelezincar Belgrade of the Serbian Second League. He was tabbed the Best Outside Hitter in Serbian Pro A2 League in 1995 and hauled in the league's Best Defensive Player honors as a libero in 1996. His success in the Pro A2 League landed him an opportunity in the Pro A1 League--Serbian volleyball's top-level--with Partizan Belgrade. He played for Partizan Belgrade for two seasons before a two-season stint with Dubocica Leskovac of the Pro A2 League. He earned his second Best Defensive Player award while with Dubocica Leskovac in 1997. Majstorovic then moved the beach circuit where he played for the Serbian National Beach Volleyball team from 1998-2000.

Majstorovic earned a degree in physical education from Belgrade University in 2002 and went on to work toward a volleyball coaching degree, which he received from Belgrade Sports Academy in 2003.